Friday (05-13) is last day to submit comments about Damen-Elston-Fullerton redesign

Read about the project to redesign the Damen-Elston-Fullerton junction.

 

Gather up your ideas on its hits or misses, then email your comments to Bridget Stalla. They're due tomorrow. 

Right-of-way acquisitions

Here're my comments (I haven't submitted them yet):

  1. Bike lane on Damen – There should be a bike lane on Damen connecting the two ends north and south of Fullerton. Additionally, the bike lane should go THROUGH both intersections. See an example of a “through bike lane” in this photo. Too often bicyclists in Chicago are “dropped off” at intersections, left to fend for themselves and get caught in the same problems as automobiles. But automobiles and bicycles are different kinds of vehicles and need different treatments and direction.
  2. Roundabout – Was a roundabout considered for any of the three intersections? What were the results of this analysis? A modern, turbo roundabout should be given serious consideration for at least one of the three intersections.
  3. Curve and wide road on New Elston Avenue – On “New Elston Avenue,” between Fullerton and Damen, there are two regular lanes and one bike lane in each direction. The widening of Elston was not justified. The high radius curve on New Elston Avenue on the east side of the project, and two regular lanes in each direction, will likely cause higher-speed traffic than bicyclists are used to on many roads on which they travel in great numbers. Automobile drivers speeding around the curve may enter the bike lanes. This is a good case for protected bike lanes at least on this part of the roadway.
  4. Removing the center island – Was removing the center island an alternative the project team considered?
  5. Queue backups caused by Fullerton-highway ramp intersection – The project area should be expanded to include the intersection to the west of the project area, at Fullerton/Kennedy ramp. Westbound drivers constantly and consistently block the Fullerton intersections with Damen and Elston while waiting to go through the signal at the highway ramp.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on May 13, 2011 at 6:25am

Past tense. 

ActiveTrans sent out this email a couple days before the open house to members whose addresses/Wards were near the intersection.

Davo said:

Im confused. Does anyone have a Delorian? If so could you pick me up to go to this meeting?

Active Transportation Alliance said:

This is what we recommended to our members in the area (nearly 800 of them!):

Permalink Reply by igz on May 13, 2011 at 6:48am
and how many showed up?
Permalink Reply by Davo on May 13, 2011 at 7:03am
A little editing goes a long way.
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on May 13, 2011 at 7:09am
I was there from 1600-1645 and I saw at least 20 visitors. The open house ended at 1900.

iggi said:
and how many showed up?
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on May 13, 2011 at 7:32am

According to this research (PDF), the turbo roundabout they analyzed could handle 3,050 to 4,050 "private cars" per hour (more than the 70,000 vehicles that pass through this intersection per day, but not sure what the peak hour is). 

See page 585 for a graphic on how the bike lane is integrated in the design. 

 

Another aspect about this project I don't like is that it only reacts to the current and expected growth of traffic congestion/delay situations.

It doesn't include any elements that are designed to affect travel behavior or that will affect mode share.

For example, since they didn't analyze the change in bus delays (will they be reduced?), we can't tell how many drivers may switch to taking the bus more often because it runs faster. And did the project designers analyze that people may change their driving or bicycling route after the change or now because the congestion is so bad?

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on May 13, 2011 at 7:34am

Sorry, I rushed and put the meeting listing in...copying/pasting too quickly.

 

Thanks,

Ethan, with Active Trans

 

 

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on May 14, 2011 at 8:29am

I made a video of what it's like to ride a bike through the intersection. What you see in the video while I ride north on Damen and south on Elston won't change (except maybe cars blocking the intersection) even with the construction project.

Permalink Reply by Bill Watson on April 10, 2013 at 11:30am
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 10, 2013 at 5:49pm

Thanks for the link. The Grid Chicago story got a lot of hits today (Wednesday). I've updated the latest article to add a link to the ABC story. 

Bill Watson said:

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 11, 2013 at 6:40am

I think the plan is better than existing, but not the best because of the costly acquisition and the increased distance bicyclists on Elston will have to travel. There may be a development opportunity for the land inside the Elston wraparound (this property will by retained by current owners - CDOT is only acquiring the parts they actually need to build the road). 

I don't know of any plans regarding Vienna Beef. 


peter moorman said:

Really, can this work in a more effiicient, safer way than what is there.

Who can determine that?

Is there  a drive-thru at Vienna Beef included in this plan?

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 11, 2013 at 7:08am

There's already a remote lot at Rockwell/Addison. I don't know if it ever becomes full. It's the DeVry University parking lot

h' 1.0 said:

How about a remote parking garage for Wrigley?

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